Cora lay on her bed and let out a shiver although she did not feel cold. Robert sat next to her stroking her cheek and gazing down at her lovingly. Cora replayed the words Edith had spat at Robert over and over in her head. They had hurt Robert in a way she couldn't even know. They had hurt her for many reasons, but not one of those had anything to do with her marriage. What Edith had said was true. She knew it, Edith knew it, everyone knew it. It was not a secret, never had been. It had also never been a secret that The Earl and Lady Grantham's marriage had changed from a business transaction to a deep and abiding love. How could you hide the fact that you loved your spouse? Why would you want to? Even as the marriages of their friends and family members crumbled and bore the burdens of mistress's and affairs, theirs had stood strong. She thought of Susan and the conversation they had had in Scotland months earlier, her marriage in taters and no way out. Just staying the course in misery. Cora and Robert's marriage had endured some dark periods there was no doubt in that, but never, not even after Sybil had Cora ever stopped loving him. She believes her husband feels the same. That once he had fallen in love with his wife he had never fallen out of it. He was English, aristocratic, old fashioned and didn't say the words often. Cora had come to understand that he had other ways of showing her he loved her. He looked at her at luncheon, he touched her shoulder in the library, he brushed her fingers with his in the drawing room, he told her his thoughts … most of the time, he treated her like she was his whole world. Of course they didn't walk around in a love glazed haze all day every day. Marriage was as Violet said "A long business" and there were days Cora could just strangle her husband. But no matter what she loved him every day. She was pleased to be his wife every day. She wouldn't change a thing between the two of them, not now that they had gone through so much and come out stronger than ever.

"Cora" Robert said softly

"Yes?" she replied a little louder than a whisper.

"I do love you so much. So very very much" she looked at his face and she could see he had tears he was holding at bay. He was always trying so hard to be the strong, stoic man he thought he should be, when she just loved all of him regardless. She reached for his hand holding it in hers and bringing it up to her lips for a soft kiss.

"I know my love. As I love you so very much" she said with great conviction and gentleness.

"Cora if I could go back I would try harder during those first months …" Cora sat up and placed her free hand against his lips to stop him speaking any further. She shook her head and looked at his eyes, so gentle and so hurt.

"I wouldn't change a thing Robert. Not one thing." She said matter of factly.

"But Cora surely you would have preferred to have the man waiting for you at the end of the aisle to be in love with you?" he offered apologetically.

"Robert Crawley" Cora said almost frustrated, "How many times shall we have the same conversation. I would rather have the right marriage than the right wedding, and that I have. I have had it for over 30 years now and I have said, and I mean it when I say I wouldn't change a thing. Perhaps we were meant to start off that way, perhaps we were supposed to learn about each other back to front. I don't know why our story was destined to start the way it did, but I'm so glad it did because here we sit 30 plus years on and I am deeply in love with you. With all of you." Cora leaned in and kissed him softly on the cheek. Robert pulled her close for a close embrace and kissed the top of her head.

"Thank heaven for a wife like you Cora Crawley" he said as he released her from his embrace.

Cora sat still on the bed holding Robert's hand. "What upsets me Robert is that our own daughter would throw that at you like some kind of weapon. How could she say that to you Robert? I am in shock that she would speak to you like that and say such things, when she of all people knows this is not a marriage of convenience. It's the worst kept secret in the county that we share a bed for crying out loud!" Cora was reaching the edge of her sadness and crossing into anger. "And that she would have the nerve to try to take a moral high ground on this one makes me shudder"

"Well she doesn't have a foot to stand on there. No matter how you slice it she is his mistress"

"Oh please Robert, don't use that word. It's too awful" Cora sighed heavy hearted.

"I'm sorry Cora, but it is the truth, unfortunately no matter what happens that cannot change. No matter how much we may want it to. The question is how do we stop this madness? He seems to understand the situation but is willing to go ahead regardless. He is putting her in an impossible situation and the stakes are far greater for her than for him. Cora, what if she were to become …" he could not finish the thought, but Cora knew where his thoughts were.

"Robert, it's all I have been able to think of since this came to light." Robert stood and began to pace the room the way he did when he was agitated or thinking ... or in this case both. "Robert, at the risk of borrowing trouble we have to at least consider that she may already be."

Robert turned his head quickly toward his wife, his eyes terrified, "Good Lord don't say that. We must hope it is not the case"

"Robert it may very well be. She is young and healthy, who knows how long this has been going on …"

"Cora please!" He held up his hand for her to stop. "We will deal with one disaster at a time shall we? If that is indeed the case we will have to handle it. But until then my biggest concern is stopping this affair from continuing and not losing our daughter in the process"

"I don't know how Robert? She is being most unreasonable in this. Surely she can see there is no future. What is her plan? This is all too much for me to think about. I am so tired my dear" Cora rubbed her hand across her forehead and Robert walked back over to the bed.

"Why don't you rest darling. You did not get much sleep last night"

"Or this morning" Cora smirked over at her husband who let out a light laugh.

"I don't know what you are talking about my dear" he said innocently, trying to hide a smirk that was playing against the corner of his lips.

Cora feigned a pout "Are you telling me it was that forgettable. Well that's very disappointing Robert, apparently I am not as desirable as I once was" she turned her head to the side pretending she could no longer stand to look at him. He stifled a laugh and moved to sit on the bed next to his wife, taking her hand in his. "You could never be forgettable my love" he said as he kissed her hand. She continued to keep her head turned and Robert knew he hadn't yet done what she wanted him to. She certainly kept him guessing. It made life exciting and new amongst the mundane of every day. Robert moved closer to his wife and leaned his chin on her shoulder wrapping his hands around her waist. "You are so very desirable. You make it hard for me to concentrate on anything else when you walk in a room" he murmured in her ear. Cora couldn't help but smile, he had done a good job with that one she had to admit. Cora leaned against him and cuddled closer to her husband of 3 decades enjoying his arms around her and the feel of his body. He moved his head up and kissed her head and pulled his arms tighter around her.

"I think it's time you lay down Cora. You need your rest" he whispered, concerned that his wife was going to be overwhelmed as they dealt with the latest in a long line of family dramatics. She did not fight as he pulled her back to lie down in his arms on their bed. He stroked her hair softly and ran his hand gently across her arm. It was a soothing feeling, a comforting one and Cora began to relax. She leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on Roberts lips once, twice and then a third time and reached her hand up to touch his cheek and run her own hand down his arm as he was doing to her. It was soft, it was sweet, it made her heart burn inside her chest with love for this good, kind man. Her good, kind man. She leaned forward again and kissed him on his lips softly, letting her lips part to take in his upper lip, then his lower one, then planted them against both of his once more. She reached her hand back around his neck and stroked his hair gently, trailing her hand down his neck and back up again.

"Cora?" Robert questioned as he felt himself becoming aroused by her soft and gently touches. They had made love already this morning in a morning flash of heat and need. It had been wonderful, and now 3 hours later she was making him feel like he needed to be with her again.

"I love you Robert" she murmured against his lips, "Love me. Make love to me" she whispered in a soft voice. He pushed her back gently against the bed and slowly let his hands begin to unbutton the blouse covering her breasts while looking into her eyes. It was slow, it was soft, gentle, beautiful. It was not the heated passion of their earlier lovemaking, this time was different. Not better, not worse, just a different kind of lovemaking to fill a different need. They knew they wanted each other, but this was about loving each other. Touching each other with delicate slow strokes, looking into each other's eyes, giving in to each other's most tender needs. As they finally completed undressing each other they lay in each other's arms for a few moments touching cheeks, hair, shoulders. Laying down soft petals of kisses on one another's necks, chests and hands. It was a quiet rediscovery of each and every crevice they had to offer. There was no world outside of theirs in that moment. When Robert slowly and tenderly lifted Cora's legs up and prepared to enter her he looked into her blue eyes and whispered, "My love" over and over again as he gently pushed into her. She reached up to touch his face as he did so and let out a sigh of satisfaction as he began to rock them both in a slow and steady rhythm. Their explorations were slow. They kept the fire burning within each other with their slow hands and gentle kisses. The arousal was blissful and seemingly endless as their hands continued to purposefully, gently caress every pore of each other's bodies. As their rhythm moved quicker, so did their desire. After nearly an hour of endless touching, kissing, caressing and lovemaking they both felt their peek coming to a climactic end. Cora could not contain the cries of pleasure that escaped her lips as she climaxed for an extended period of time as Robert held back long enough to let her continue her satisfaction and release. Finally, as her cries lessened and her body shuddered under him Robert allowed himself to spend with a force he could not describe. His body convulsing atop his wife as he released for what seemed like minutes. Eventually collapsing on top of her and kissing her forehead tenderly.

Outside their door they could not have known that Edith had come to find her mother. Having seen Mr. Gregson to the chauffer with his bags she had come to apologize for her wounding comments earlier. To try again to talk with her and clear some tension. She had been crying and was utterly distracted as she wondered the hall to her mother's room. She was sure she would be there as she had not been in the library or the drawing room and she was probably in need of a rest after the shock she'd had over the last day. She had made it all the way to her mother's door almost in a trance and placed her hand on the doorknob and began to turn it. Thankfully and at the same time not thankfully she had heard her mother let out several cries which Edith could only assume to be pleasure as they were followed by similar sounds from her father. Her face had gone white and she had quickly moved away from the door and down the hall. She made her way to her room, suddenly in need of a lie down herself with the thought that perhaps she had been given a small inkling of what her mother had felt the night before. Edith thought as she made it to her room and closed the door that as long as she lived she would never be able to stop the sounds of her parent's pleasure ringing in her ears.